Reviewed by Michael Dalton

I’ve never liked Rugby League. I grew up in a house filled with devotees who took it very seriously. They’d jump up and down, scream, “Get off, ya mug!” and bellow, “What the hell are you doing, Artie?” and so on. Incredulous, I’d watch them all yell their heartfelt platitudes. Aghast at the emotional investment the game seemed to demand, I’d wander back to my room and watch Bette Davis telling everyone to fasten their seatbelts. Keeping this in mind, it was with great trepidation I approached The Final Winter.

Written by and starring Matthew Nable (he played a few first-grade seasons with Souths and Manly) The Final Winter harks back to the “glory days” of the game. Set in the early 1980s, it’s positioned at a time in the game’s history when they, I guess, were expected to punch, elbow and slam each other. It also takes place on the eve of what could only be called a corporate invasion. 

Nable plays someone appropriately named Grub Henderson. Did Nable call himself this for a reason? Grub (who plays for Newtown) emulates a gorilla, loves the aggressive side of the game (at one point he shows a mate a particularly nasty trick to pull in a scrum), doesn’t really like anybody and lives for the sport. After delivering a vicious punch to his brother Trent (Russell Crowe look-a-like Nathaniel Dean), he’s sent off and the narrative takes us through the week leading up to him standing before the judiciary. Grub has a wife (Raelee Hill) and two daughters he is becoming increasingly estranged from, and a coach, Jack (what a great debut from Matthew Johns!), who he’s not sure he trusts anymore. Corporate evil comes in the form of John Jarratt (who else?). 

Nable's attention to detail may be what makes the experience what it is. The mound of sand they kick goals from, a player having a last-minute cigarette in the change room and even the three-point tries. Am I talking like I’m in the know? From being dragged along to the games, I used to witness the hysteria and the characters involved in it first-hand, and boy howdy is Matthew Johns characterisation of the coach on the money. A two-toned gabardine suit, a beer gut and reading glasses that recall Rex Mossop (remember him?), Jack is as aware as Grub about the changes in the wind, but he remains as powerless. Watch for a scene where Jack’s alone in his kitchen gambling; it’s a wonderfully layered performance. 

The narrative is deceptively simple and those expecting plenty of action on the field will be disappointed. The Final Winter is about a man at odds with a world changing around him. Indeed, it’s a lament: heartfelt, honest and beautifully acted. At times it recalls Lee Tamahori’s frightening foray into the world of Maori culture, Once Were Warriors. Like Temuera Morrison’s Jake, Nable plays Grub like a force of nature, and like Jake, Grub is a powderkeg just waiting to be lit. Every inch of him is masculinity personified, and it’s easy to believe that all he’s doing off the field is waiting to get back on. There’s a level of raw honesty to his portrayal that’s touching in a way accomplished performers don’t reach. Like Once Were Warriors, The Final Winter examines a change in climate. With the former it was about a positive change but with the latter? The fans are going to argue about it. And scream and bellow. 


The Final Winter
(2007)

Director: Jane Forrest, Brian Andrews
Screenplay: Matthew Nable
Cinematography: Ian Jones
Editing: Matt Villa
Cast: Matthew Nable, John Jarratt, Matthew Johns, Raelee Hill